A Different Bofors Kickback:
Amit Shah says corporates are happy and the bureaucrats are active as they feel protected. while Obama needs no support for yet another oil war!
Palash Biswas
White House: ISIS a national security priority
Indian subcontinent is subjected to calamities human as well as natural.Natural calamities tagged with man made branded equity.Poverty eradication is the name of power politics fully and potentially linked with dollar plus corporate responsability.It is all about day first I Phone super six availability media hype.No one seems to care price ris or inflation.Growth story great Indian sensex circus in bull run mode is all about the dices,nothing to do with the masses.Anti corruption camapign is all about the ponzi trickling economics which with all its subsidiaries foreign investors, government of India and the state govenment,parliament and assemblies, ministries, secretariates,India Incs, RBI, SEBI, ED and all the listed unlisted multinational and desi companies have the previlege of free market hunting ground decontrolled,deregulated thanks to liberalisation,globalisation,privatisation and minimum governance with maximum communalreligious violence unprecedented.
The story remains identical like the overwhelming floods,earthquakes,tsunami,cyclone,drought and global warming melting the glaciers across political boundaries.
All types of strategic partnership,all types of nuclear dealing,all types of bilateral talks and diplomacy,FDI and Disinvestment boom,optimum use of natural resources do result in yet another Bofors Kickback.
It is free flow of black money and the envelop of Saradha typed ponzi trickling corruption at every level which ensures the constant holocaust which never did really stopped in this bleeding communally divided geopolitics.
Thus,Gujarat expert RSS inserted BJP head Amit Sah is all ga ga glad to say that corporates are happy and the bureaucrats are active as they feel protected.
On the other hand,the world is on the verge of yet another oil war suicidal which may end the dollar supremacy and the economies tagged with dollar as the boom boom ponzi Indian economy without any fundamental, without any production, highly dependent of dollar yen inflow,highly corrupt top to bottom,highly volatile and subjected to global trends,highly ant labour,anti people,inhuman,anti citizen,FDI outsourcing fed infrastructure of foreign territories of service oriented brokers of all kinds,have to face the doom`s day.
Europe may decide the fate of Americas,Middle east,Africa and Asia as well.
Obama to Congress: No vote needed on ISIS strategy
By Kevin Liptak and Tom Cohen, CNN
September 10, 2014 -- Updated 0403 GMT (1203 HKT)
Washington (CNN) -- President Barack Obama told congressional leaders on Tuesday he has the authority to carry out his planned strategy against ISIS fighters in Iraq and Syria without authorization from legislators, but he asked for their support to show the nation was united.
Obama "reiterated his belief that the nation is stronger and our efforts more effective when the President and Congress work together to combat a national security threat" like the Sunni jihadists who call themselves the Islamic State, a White House statement said.
"The President told the leaders that he would welcome action by the Congress that would aid the overall effort and demonstrate to the world that the United States is united in defeating the threat," it added.
Earlier, two senior legislators -- one from each party -- told CNN's Dana Bash that a congressional vote on military action against the jihadists was unlikely despite calls for one by many of their colleagues.
While some in Congress want to vote on the matter, taking up such a volatile issue as military action weeks before the November elections may be politically dangerous.
Others in Congress argued the President already has the authority he needs to expand attacks on ISIS under war powers granted more than a decade ago to go after al Qaeda.
Obama has been criticized by conservatives and some Democrats for what they call a timid response so far to the threat by ISIS fighters who emerged from Syria to rampage through northern Iraq.
Congress wants a say in ISIS strategy
Does Obama need lawmakers' OK?
The role of Sunnis in stopping ISIS
Who's worse? ISIS or al Qaeda?
The President authorized airstrikes on ISIS targets in Iraq earlier this year, but he now faces pressure to expand the campaign to go after the extremists in Syria.
Obama and his top aides call such a military step one part of a broader strategy against ISIS that includes establishing a stable representative government in Iraq, forming an international coalition including Middle East countries to combat the extremists and increasing military aid to moderate opposition groups in Syria fighting ISIS and the government of President Bashar al-Assad.
The top Republicans and Democrats from the House and Senate -- House Speaker John Boehner of Ohio and Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, along with Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada and House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi of California -- got the first glimpse of Obama's plan to "degrade and defeat" ISIS at a White House meeting on Tuesday.
Afterward, Boehner said in a statement he would support Obama if the President deployed the U.S. military to help train and advise Iraq forces and assist with targeting ISIS leadership.
"I think we have to take them out," Democratic Sen. Ben Cardin of Maryland told CNN on Tuesday, in reference to targeting ISIS leaders.
Administration officials also planned to brief all legislators this week on the the threat from the extremists who call themselves the Islamic State, while Secretary of State John Kerry left Tuesday to push Sunni leaders in Jordan and Saudi Arabia to join the United States and its allies in combating ISIS.
Next week, Kerry and Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel will appear at congressional hearings to discuss the President's ISIS strategy, the White House said.
A year ago, Obama failed to secure congressional support for airstrikes inside Syria after international observers concluded al-Assad used chemical weapons on civilians.
Obama launched the current air campaign against ISIS in Iraq, which has included more than 100 strikes against the militants, without specific approval from Congress beyond the President's power to protect American interests abroad and help alleviate humanitarian situations.
White House lawyers must determine whether a plan to go after ISIS further, which could include airstrikes on targets inside Syria, would require a vote in Congress.
Polls have long showed Americans tired of war after lengthy engagements in Iraq and Afghanistan, though a CNN survey released Monday indicated 76% supported additional airstrikes against ISIS. More than seven in 10 said Obama should ask Congress for approval, and eight in 10 said Congress should grant it.
"If this is going to be a prolonged fight against ISIS, it seems to me that there is no way to avoid coming to the Congress for an authorization for the use of military force, which comes before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee," said Sen. Robert Menendez of New Jersey, the Democratic chairman of that panel.
Republican Rep. Peter King of New York, however, told CNN on Tuesday that Obama should act first and get the approval from Congress afterward.
"This is so imminent, this is so critical, I want the President to take the action and then Congress should pass legislation supporting what the President does," King said. "I don't want him to wait until Congress acts because I don't have full faith in Congress myself, to be honest with you."
The White House said it's continuing to seek a "buy-in" from Congress on any plan to defeat ISIS, though officials say that doesn't necessarily mean a vote on military action.
Meanwhile, Obama will address the nation Wednesday night in a speech that will focus on three major themes, a senior administration official told CNN's Jim Acosta.
He will frame the threat posed by ISIS, outline his strategy to address that threat and outline a series of new proposals on how to fight and ultimately destroy the terror group, the official said.
News Updates from CLG
11 September 2014
All links are here:
Previous edition: 'CIA torture of terror suspects 'far exceeds waterboarding,' brought prisoners close to point of death,' which Google relegated to the trash bin. Google subscribers: Google Filter Instructions for CLG Newsletter.
Obama: U.S. will hit ISIS 'wherever they exist' 10 Sept 2014 President Barack Obama told Americans he plans for the nation to lead a broad coalition to fight the Islamic State. "With a new Iraqi government in place, and following consultations with allies abroad and Congress at home, I can announce that America will lead a broad coalition to roll back this terrorist threat," he said. "Our objective is clear: we will degrade, and ultimately destroy, ISIL through a comprehensive and sustained counter-terrorism strategy." The comments came as part of Obama's prime-time speech Wednesday to outline his plans to counter the Islamic militants known as the Islamic State, ISIS or ISIL.
Obama to Send 475 Additional U.S. Troops to Iraq --New troops would join more than 1,000 U.S. military personnel in Iraq 10 Sept 2014 President Barack Obama is sending 475 more U.S. troops into Iraq to supplement an existing American military presence that is helping Iraqi security forces battle Islamic State militants and secure diplomatic facilities. Obama was announcing the additional forces Wednesday as part of an expanded offensive against the Islamic State group in Iraq and in Syria.
Obama says US will bomb ISIL in Syria 11 Sept 2014 President Barack Obama says the United States is prepared to expand its bombing campaign against ISIL terrorists and launch airstrikes in Syria. "I will not hesitate to take action against ISIL in Syria, as well as Iraq," Obama said during a speech delivered from the White House on Wednesday. "America will lead a broad coalition to roll back this terrorist threat," he added. The Pentagon announced that the United States already has conducted 154 airstrikes against ISIL targets in Iraq.
Full text of Obama's speech on ISIS 10 Sept 2014 President Obama vowed to "destroy" Islamist State terrorists in a primetime address Wednesday that sought to restore eroding public confidence in his leadership and ability to safeguard national security. The president announced a "systematic campaign of airstrikes" against fighters with the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria "wherever they exist," signaling U.S. targets will expand from Iraq to Syria.
Homeland Security: We can't stop ISIS from coming into US [for a big fat false flag] 10 Sept 2014 Homeland Security officials warned Wednesday they don’t have a full picture of the Americans and Europeans heading to Syria to train with [US-armed] ISIS and therefore can't stop them from coming into the US. "We don't have a fulsome picture in all cases," said Jennifer Lasley, a deputy undersecretary at the Department of Homeland Security..."Terrorists could be just one visa-free flight away from arriving in the United States," said Rep. Candice Miller (R-Mich.), chairwoman of a House Homeland Security subcommittee, who held a congressional hearing on the matter Wednesday. She's introducing legislation torevoke passports of Americans who [allegedly] traveled abroad for terrorist training.
Obama to deepen America's military role in Mideast 10 Sept 2014 In a major reversal, President Barack Obama is moving to deepen the U.S. military role in the volatile Middle East, including training and arming Syrian 'rebels' to fight Islamic State militants and potentially expanding airstrikes across the Iraqi border into Syria. Obama was to outline his plans for battling the Islamic State group in a high-stakes address to the nation Wednesday night. Ahead of his remarks, congressional leaders grappled with whether to support his request to arm the Syrian opposition and if so, how to get such a measure through the fractured legislature.
US to intensify bombing campaign against Isis in Iraq 8 Sept 2014 A month after Barack Obama launched aerial attacks against Islamic State militants in Iraq, the campaign has increased to more than 140 air strikes hitting an expanding range of locations. The latest targets, made under a lengthening list of objectives, were identified as the US president prepares to widen the bombardment further -- including at least nine air strikes over the weekend around the Haditha dam in Anbar province [to blow the dam and blame ISIS], 'helping Iraqi government forces capture the facility and clear it of militants by Monday.' The fresh attacks take the number of air strikes to 143 in the month-long campaign and significantly shifts the region under fire beyond northern Iraq to include west Iraq.
Another day, another under-reported US war crime while the US media drones on 24/7 about two beheadings by (US-armed) ISIS: US air raid kills 14 civilians in NE Afghanistan 10 Sept 2014 At least fourteen civilians, including women and children, have been killed in yet another airstrike by US-led forces in Afghanistan. An airstrike, which took place in Afghanistan's northeastern province of Kunar, left at least 14 people dead, most of them women and children. Local officials have told Press TV that the overnight air raid in the Badil District of the province also left 13 people injured.
Russian plane overflies Canadian ship in Black Sea 9 Sept 2014 A Russian military plane circled over a Canadian frigate on a NATO 'mission' in the Black Sea, a maneuver Ottawa denounced Monday as "unnecessarily provocative." The Russian aircraft "did not in any way pose a threat to the Canadian ship," said Canadian Defense Minister Rob Nicholson. [Maybe NATO shouldn't be conducting 'missions' in the Black Sea.]
US, Ukraine launch joint maritime exercises in Black Sea 8 Sept 2014 Ukrainian and American naval forces are taking part in joint maritime drills dubbed Sea Breeze 2014, which began on Monday in the northwestern part of the Black Sea and will last till September 10. "Today in the north-west part of the Black Sea, we are beginning the joint Navy exercises of Ukraine and the US, known as 'Sea Breeze 2014'. The exercises will continue until September 10. The aim is to set up safety measures in areas dangerous to ships," Colonel Andrey Lysenko, spokesman for Ukraine's National Security Council, told reporters as cited by AP.
EU adopts new sanctions against Russia to come into force in 'next few days'8 Sept 2014 A new package of sanctions against Russia has been adopted by the EU. Previous reports said the "further restrictive measures" were aimed at targeting three major oil companies, as well as the defense sector. According to a Mondaystatement by the president of the European Council, Herman Van Rompuy, the new package was adopted through written procedure, "deepening the targeted measures of 31 July."
Dutch report blames 'high-energy objects' for MH17 crash, no suspects named 9 Sept 2014 A Malaysian Airlines passenger jet broke into pieces over Ukraine in July after it was struck by "high-energy objects from outside the aircraft," according to a preliminary Dutch report. "A full listening of the communications among the crew members in the cockpit recorded on the cockpit voice recorder revealed no signs of any technical faults or an emergency situation," the Dutch Safety Board said in its report summary. "Neither were any warning tones heard in the cockpit that might have pointed to technical problems."
Switzerland 'could grant Edward Snowden asylum if he testifies against NSA'8 Sept 2014 Switzerland would grant Edward Snowden asylum if he revealed the extent of espionage activities by the US government, recommendations by the Swiss Attorney General reportedly conclude. According to Swiss newspaperSonntags Zeitung, an official has said that Mr Snowden should be guaranteed safe entry and residency in the country, in return for his knowledge on America’s intelligence activities. Last month, Mr Snowden was told he could remain in Russia for another three years.
Japanese regulator approves restart of first nuclear reactors 9 Sep 2014 Japan's nuclear regulator gave the go-ahead on Wednesday for the restart of a nuclear power station, the first step to reopening an industry that was mothballed after the Fukushima disaster and which may involve the definitive closure of a dozen old plants. The Nuclear Regulation Authority (NRA) said Kyushu Electric Power's two-reactor Sendai plant in southwestern Japan could restart, although that still needs the approval of local authorities.
'A lot of other people' exposed to Ebola - apart from the four cases made public - have been transported back to the U.S., says vice president of transport company contracted to the State Department --The actual number of people who have been exposed and returned to the States is unknown 10 Sept 2014 A greater number of people exposed to the Ebola virus than the four publicly identified patients have been evacuated to the United States. Dent Thompson, vice president of Phoenix Air Group, a private company contracted by the State Department to transport the patients back to the U.S. says many more people who had an 'exposure event' have been flown from West Africa by his company...'We moved a lot of other people who had an exposure event,' Thompsontold Yahoo News.
US federal air marshal quarantined in Houston after being stabbed in the arm with a syringe and 'injected with foreign substance by unknown assailant' at airport --The air marshal was quarantined and screened for Ebola on-scene --The syringe was also transported to the U.S. for testing 8 Sept 2014 A federal air marshal has been quarantined in Houston after he was injected with a syringe full of an unknown substance inside Lagos airport in Nigeria. The man reported the attack, which occurred in an unsecured, public area of the terminal, and the FBI and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) are investigating. The man was able to board United Flight 143 and landed in Houston early Monday morning where he was taken for medical testing.
New Ebola Patient Arrives in U.S. for Treatment 9 Sept 2014 A fourth patient infected with Ebola virus has arrived in the United States for treatment. The World Health Organization doctor arrived at Emory University Hospital in Atlanta and hasn’t been named -- a WHO spokesman says the agency wants to preserve the patient's privacy. He walked into the hospital from the ambulance that carried him form a nearby air force base. Emory is where the first two U.S. patients -- Nancy Writebol and Dr. Kent Brantly -- were treated.
Ebola spread is exponential in Liberia, thousands of cases expected soon: WHO 8 Sept 2014 The Ebola virus is spreading fast in Liberia, where many thousands of new cases are expected over the coming three weeks, the World Health Organization said on Monday. "Transmission of the Ebola virus in Liberia is already intense and the number of new cases is increasing exponentially," WHO said in a statement. Fourteen of Liberia's 15 counties have reported confirmed cases, the WHO said on Monday.
Wall Street Hand Stays the Stormy Course at N.Y.U. 8 Sept 2014 Under the command and control of [dirt-bag] John Sexton, its president, and Martin Lipton, its chairman, for more than a decade, New York University has courted more than its fair share of controversy. So some might have expected that with the two stepping down over the next two years, new leadership might mean a fresh and less controversial direction. But that would be wrong. The incoming chairman of the board of trustees, whose past activities have already drawn criticism, appears set to take up the mantle of the status quo, and he will be leading the search for the next president, leading many to believe the university will remain mired in the recent unsavoriness.
35 Are Arrested as Missouri Police Block Highway Protest of Teenager's Shooting 10 Sept 2014 (Berkeley, Mo.) Demonstrators hoping to block Interstate 70 here on Wednesday to protest the fatal shooting of Michael Brown a month ago were barred by the police from entering the highway. The authorities said 35 people had been arrested, most for unlawful assembly but four for assaulting officers. As traffic continued to move during the late-afternoon rush, demonstrators and police officers, some in riot gear, faced each other in a standoff, at times tense, on North Hanley Road at Interstate 70 near the St. Louis airport.
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Sep 11 2014 : The Economic Times (Mumbai)
A Different Bofors Kickback: An Indian Howitzer
Satish John & Ashutosh R Shyam
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Mumbai:
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Flashback to 1999, and the Kargil war.The military is forced to abort missions due to heavy casualties.Then it decides to deploy the controversial Bofors gun to destroy Pakistani outposts from various vantage points. The strategy pays off, but the military realises it will soon run out of ammunition to feed the howitzers. At the urging of army com manders, the de fence ministry turns to Baba Kalyani and his company Bharat Forge to make shells for its Bofors 155mm howitzers.
Kalyani, chairman of the Bharat Forge Group, recalls how the company got the “emergency order“ to make 1 lakh shells. That's how the company's ability to turn out high-quality products at short notice, which helped burnish its global reputation in the auto parts industry, came to play a role in history.
More than a decade since then, the group led by flagship Bharat Forge is ready with artillery equipment that the Indian defence forces will soon start testing.This puts it nicely in place to take advantage of the Narendra Modi government's initiative to encourage greater private participation in the defence sector.
“A lot of emphasis on local manufacturing of defence products has been put by the current government. Thus, companies like us, who've taken defence seriously , are now production-ready ,“ Kalyani told ET in an exclusive interview. The government has also opened up the sector to more overseas investments to persuade foreign companies to transfer technology to Indian firms. To those who would question the competence of a forging company entering the high-tech defence space, Kalyani said manufacturers such as Bharat Forge are especially well-qualified to do so. “Companies like us from basic industries such as metallurgy and forging are the ones that are engaged in defence worldwide,“ he reasoned.
For its artillery equipment venture, the Indian company has a joint venture with Elbit Systems, an Israeli defence equipment maker. The venture will initially work on the 155mm howitzer modernisation programme.
Bharat Forge has also built a howitzer from scratch that Kalyani says has far greater firepower than even the Bofors gun that's currently in use.
“Our artillery gun would be better than Bofors,“ he asserted. “On the operational parameter, it is better in terms that it can move 25 km an hour on its own, and the gun would take 52 calibre rounds compared with the 39 calibre of Bofors. It would have `steer by wire', which the Bofors guns do not possess,“ he said.
By late September or early October, the Indian Army will start testing Bharat Forge's artillery equipment.
An ultra light gun will be ready for testing by late September while trials of the 155mm artillery gun will start by December. A 155mm ultra light gun will be ready for testing by the middle of next year.
The company is also actively scouting for opportunities in the small arms space, although the government is yet to give permission for private companies to manufacture such weapons.
Bharat Forge decided to diversify away from the automobile sector after the global economic turmoil hit in 2008 and plant capacity had to be idled.
“We did a couple of things. We tightened costs and adopted lean manufacturing processes. We invested heavily in R&D to develop new products“ to mitigate the effects of the slump. But “when the Indian economy got battered, we too got battered in the process“. This forced the company to look at sectors it could enter by leveraging its metallurgical and forging prowess.Components for the shale gas fracking, aerospace, offshore oil & gas exploration and defence industries were shortlisted. While bets on offshore oil & gas and shale gas have paid rich dividends thanks to orders from US companies, components for aerospace equipment will need more time to develop and test.
The company will focus on India for its defence equipment strategy over the next decade.
“Unless we are recognised in the domestic market, who will acknowledge us abroad?“ Kalyani asked.
The defence market is a potentially massive one. India's defence imports are currently worth about $20 billion a year, accounting for about 70-75% of its total requirements, Kalyani said. Along with the offset clause, any other mandatory local manufacturing requirements would be a very big opportunity for Indian companies. An offset clause relates to the localmanufacturing pledge an overseas company needs to make in return for orders.
Kapil Singh and Nishit Jalan of Nomura didn't put a number to the defence opportunity in a July 30 research report. “With the focus of the Indian government on local sourcing and hike in FDI (foreign direct investment) in defence to 49%, the revenue opportunity for the company would be very large but difficult to build in our earnings estimates right now,“ they said. Defence can be a harsh marketplace. The procurement cycles of the Indian government are complex and opaque with seven to eight layers in the decision-making process, raising the significant possibility of delays, although the Modi government and Defence Minister Arun Jaitley have been seeking to hurry up things.
Sep 11 2014 : The Economic Times (Mumbai)
FLOOD FURY ALL AROUND - Water & Devastation Everywhere in J&K
Masood Hussain
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Srinagar:
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RIME OF THE ANCIENT MARINER: Marooned Srinagar looks for drinking water; Army, others continue massive rescue operations
Even as the Army and other rescue workers continue with massive rescue operations, marooned Srinagar is desperately in need of potable water. “Most of my family is still trapped inside the second floor of our Gogjibagh house,“ said Hajira, a middle-aged woman told soldiers who rescued her. “We have a new house and it will still survive, but my family may not if they do not get water.“ Soldiers had nothing beyond the sympathies to offer. The nearest relief camp operated by locals had some water but no means to reach where Hajira's family was trapped, as it was 20 feet under water.
Soldiers and thousands of youth operating in Jawahar Nagar, Kursoo, Rajbagh, Padshahibagh, Indira Nagar, Shivpora and Tengpora in uptown Srinagar were using all means to evacuate people. From mattresses to empty water tanks were used to rescue people and minimise deaths.Thousands of volunteers have moved into the city with provisions, boats and water but coordination at the ground level has not matched the magnitude of the crisis.
Reyaz from Jagheer in north Kashmir, who moved with his shikara boat in a truck and reached Srinagar rescued 50. “By the time, I rescued more than 50 from a house, I got the information that my home was submerged, so I have to return with the boat,“ he said.
The abrupt collapse of the public broadcaster has added to the panic. Army Chief After its highly-impressive and live broadcast for more than 80 hours, till Jhelum flooded the ground floor of the Radio Kashmir, the radio service shut down operations on Sunday .
“It sounds strange that the system has not been able to even manage resumption of FM service which can be operated from any broadcaster's bedroom,“ said S Aijaz, a director-rank officer of the state govt. “Collapse of telecom has been grave. But a radio service could have been easily managed by linking the system to satellite like it ws done in Uttarakhand.“ Telecom service providers, who have more than six million subscribers, too fell silent and the first to resume service was Dishnet's Aircell. With all communication lines snapping, rumor mills started functioning. Toll figures were highly exaggerated by these.
Officials associated with the rescue said there were scores of buildings which had collapsed within minutes, after they were water-logged Several families trapped in them are feared dead. People being rescued said that casualty among women, children and elderly may outnumber youth. Conservative estimates put the total dead to be above thousand. “Right now, it does not make sense to go body hunting,“ a JAKLI soldier involved in rescue operations told ET. “Let us first get those living and then we can get the bodies,“ he added.
With the civil secretariat, state legislature, high court, official localities housing ministers inundated, the state government has lost its address.Chief Secretary Iqbal Khanday managed to reach office by using a boat but could not do much because communication was crippled. The only source of getting and passing information was the wireless that had limited access on ground, restricted to security installations.
CM Omar Abdullah was seen almost everywhere as south Kashmir was submerged. Once the river drained into Srinagar, people saw his bluestrapped white chopper in air. The last report is that he was now operating from the Nehru Guest House.
“There is nothing much the government can do because the scale of the crisis is vast,“ a middle-rung police officer said. “It is Army , police, SDRF and NDRF men who are managing the show,“ he added. Thousands of youth have made their way into the city. Almost everywhere, there are relief camps run by locals. Hundreds of provision-laden trucks from the periphery are in the city waiting to reach the affected.
Officials in the state government said that most of the rescue operations have apparently been taken over by the Centre. While IAF choppers have been hovering over Srinagar sky continuously since Sunday , aircrafts are flying in and out of Srinagar almost 24x7. They were flying in boats and other basics. A senior IAF official told this reporter on Tuesday evening that they have rescued around 600 locals and most of them have left to their relatives houses in safer locations.
IAF rescued thousands of tourists, employees deployed in Kashmir and migrant labour. There was massive rush at the airport on Tuesday and police had to use force to bring order.Choppers for rescue was scaled down in civilian areas because the rotor movement was triggering currents & hampering boat movement.
Delhi-based Kashmiri residents have accused the Centre government of not extending any help in transporting nearly 150,000 packaged water bottles. They alleged that certain private helicopter services were eager to join operations but permission has not been issued.
The tragedy has seen for the first time since 1989 soldiers without guns. The interactions between the masses and soldiers have never been at such a scale in Srinagar.
Sep 11 2014 : The Economic Times (Mumbai)
iPHONES SELLING FOR OVER A LAKH ON EBAY - Grey Market says it in B&W: It's Six Figures for 6, 6+
Writankar Mukherjee
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Kolkata:
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India launch in Oct but unofficial channels promise delivery in Sept
A day after Tim Cook took the wrappings off iPhone 6 and 6 Plus, the Indian grey market went a little crazy .On eBay India, a sealed and factory unlocked 16GB iPhone 6 was going for ` . 1 lakh while a 16 GB iPhone 6 Plus was being offered at ` . 1.1 lakh. The devices will be shipped to India from September 21. Another seller on eBay India listed a network-locked 16GB iPhone 6, which will be unlocked be . 75,000. The phone fore sale, at ` will be launched in the US and elsewhere on September 19 and in India on October 17.
One of the sellers on eBay, who plans to source the handsets from Australia and Singapore, said he has already received more than 20 bookings with the full amount paid by Wednesday evening. His listing had got more than 600 hits, he said. Australia and Singapore are part of the global launch.
Apple has enlarged the screen, made the edges more rounded and slimmed down the iPhone as it seeks to fight for higher end of the smartphone market with Samsung, with which it has tangled in court over alleged patent infringements. At the same time, in markets such as India, buyers are moving toward cheaper phones.
These include the Motorola Moto E and the Xiaomi Mi3.
But iPhone mania was unstoppable on the day after the launch with Apple fanboys determined to get their hands on the new devices. In the grey markets of New Delhi and Kolkata, the 16GB version of the iPhone 6 was being quoted at ` . 55,00060,000 with a premium of . 5,000-10,000 on the larger ` screen variant.Focus on Online Sales 19 What many Apple loyalists thought not possible has happened – there’s now an iPhone ‘phablet’! And importantly, this is the first time after Steve Jobs that the launch presentation has ended with the famous “one more thing” – referring to Apple’s entry into the digital wearables segment.
Here’s a quick snapshot of the new announcements.
Sep 11 2014 : The Economic Times (Mumbai)
ET EXCLUSIVE Q&A - I Am Like A Log Floating On Water. Wherever The Water Takes Me, I Go
AMIT SHAH BJP President
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(Amit Shah, when asked if he aspires to be India's prime minister one day)
Shah laughs off the suggestion that the Modi wave is petering out. "Bypoll se na hi sarkar decide hoti hai na girti hai," he says, even as he hurls the gauntlet at the Nitish-Lalu combine: "If they're so confident of winning Bihar, why don't they call for elections?" In a free-wheeling, 90-minute chat with Rohini Singh, BJP chief Amit Shah, arguably the second-most powerful man in the party after Prime Minister Narendra Modi, spoke on a range of issues -from the recent controversy surrounding Rajnath Singh and communal tensions in UP to the government's achievements and his party's prospects in the upcoming state elections. Excerpts:
What are your short-term and long-term priorities?
In the short term, my pri orities are to put together a new team and to ensure BJP does well in the upcoming assembly elections. I think the good work done by the government has generated immense goodwill and we need to encash it. In the long term, we need to become a bridge between the government and the people. We need to advertise the programmes of the government and convey public mood to it. There are eight states in which BJP does not have a strong presence and we need to strengthen our organisation there. We also need to conduct training programmes for all the new recruits.
Your expectations from the upcoming assembly polls in Maharashtra, Jharkhand and Haryana...
BJP hasn't been in power in these states. In Jharkhand, we have in a way been in power, but that was a fragmented mandate. We have never come to power in Jharkhand with an emphatic mandate. We have not been in power for 15 years in Maharashtra and neither do we have a government in Haryana. Even then, I believe, having completed my tours in these three states, I can say emphatically that BJP will win with a definitive mandate in these three states.
Will you announce CM candidates for the states or will PM Modi be your face?
We have not decided and closer to elections, looking at the situation on the ground, we will decide for these states. It is not necessary that we announce CM candidates in all three states.
Congress has been accused of not projecting regional leaders because it wants to project the Gandhis.Don't you think BJP can be accused of the same?
Such an allegation can't stick because there is team work here. Rajnath Singh and Nitin Gadkari have both been presidents. I am the president now. Shivraj Singh Chauhan is in the parliamentary board now. Unlike Congress we don't keep changing our CMs. Our CMs that do good work are supported by the party and the party continues with it. So this would be a baseless allegation.
Going by the latest set of bypolls, would it be a fair interpretation that the Modi wave has petered out a bit?
First, people used to say there is no Modi wave. But the results proved that the Modi wave was fierce. Now people are saying the Modi wave has petered out a bit. When the results for these assembly polls come, then people will get to know how we have swept these states because of the good work of the government.
Could BJP have done something different in the recent bypolls where it didn't do as well as expected?
In a bypoll, the public doesn't vote for change. Bypoll se na hi sarkar decide hoti hai na girti hai (governments don't get formed or fall as a result of bypolls). Bypolls represent the politics of that assembly constituency.But when general elections happen, then who will form the government, who will be the CM, which party will be in power become important issues.
In Maharashtra, will your CM candidate be from BJP or Shiv Sena?
We haven't decided on that. Discussions are on at the state level and still to take concrete shape.
There is talk of tension between Nitin Gadkari and De vendra Phadnavis in Maharashtra. Your comments.I don't believe news reports and I don't like to respond to news reports, but I do believe that the media should introduce more transparency in its so-called sourcebased reporting. Who are these sources?
If the media has guts then it should disclose who these sources are and names of leaders who make such claims.
But then the leaders who are sources should also have the guts to go on record....I don't say, `sources say there is a Modi wave'. I say clearly that I say there is a Modi wave. Himmat honi chahiye (you should have courage). Half-baked rumours just vitiate the atmosphere.
o So there is no tension between them?
Not at all. There is no tension between the two.
Haryana Janhit Congress has broken up with BJP. Is it now certain you will go on your own, or is there some chance of tying up with OP Chautala's INLD?
We will go alone and will contest all the seats alone.
Your reaction to the sting operation by AAP...I don't have all the details. It is still being examined by the state unit. But in such a big party, if some lower level worker, in enthusiasm does something then it should not be seen as a reflection on the party.
But he is the vice president of your state unit....That's OK. But Delhi is, in a way, like a corporation (laughs). It's almost like a civic body. It's a small state so if any worker does anything out of overenthusiasm, usko party ke saath nahin jodna chahiye (he should not be linked to the party).
Does BJP want fresh polls in Delhi, or will it try to form the government on its own?
Nobody wants elections in Delhi. In the past year and a half, there have been two man dates. Both these mandates have been in favour of BJP.In Vidhan Sabha we have emerged as the single largest party and in the Lok Sabha, all seven seats were won by us. The public mandate is clearly in our favour. At the state level, however, the issue is about majority. I don't know who will support BJP or won't, but if someone is willing to support BJP, obviously not through unethical means but because they wish to support, then why should we refuse?
So why does BJP seem reluctant to go in for polls?
It is not a question of being reluctant. We think there is no need to go for fresh polls because we have had two mandates within a short time in favour of the party.
BJP suffered a setback in Bihar bypolls because of the tie-up between Lalu Prasad and Nitish Kumar...If Nitish and Lalu think that the bypoll results reveal the so-called decline of BJP then public mandate was for the BJP-JD(U) alliance. They have broken that alliance.So they should call for immediate elections and BJP will return in Bihar with an emphatic mandate. If they genuinely believe that their position is very strong then they should immediately call for elections.
Your views on the `Love Jihad' controversy..
Love Jihad is a media creation, not our terminology.
It's a grave social problem. Where injustice is done to a woman, then it is natural that BJP as a socio-political organisation will fight. But it is not true that we have started some big campaign on it. When such individual cases come to light where women have been wronged, and they are genuine cases, then BJP will work to ensure the guilty is punished. That is if there is injustice.
Communal tension is rising in UP and some of your local leaders have been accused of stoking unrest..
All the states of the country are divided into two. One s that are BJP-ruled and the other that aren't. There are some states that are going to the polls, UP being one of them (bypolls). There is no communal tension any where except in UP. BJP is everywhere but Samajwadi Party is only in Uttar Pradesh. That only means that SP's one-sided vote bank consolidation politics is re sponsible for increase in communal tension. If it had to happen because of the BJP, because of elections, then it should have happened in Maharashtra and Jharkhand too. It should have happened in Jammu and Kashmir, the most sensitive state. But because the Samajwadi Party isn't there, it didn't happen. But what about Yogi Adityanath's statements....Such statements have come many times. This CD is two-year old. There were no riots then, so why will it happen now because of this CD?
Can statements made two years ago create a riot now?
It doesn't happen. If one-sided inquiry is done by the state just for votebank politics, then that leads to anger among others.
What, in your opinion, has been the single biggest achievement of the Modi government so far?
The biggest achievement is that the public has faith in the government and the PM that there will be growth, corporates are happy that they will get a good business environment, the bureaucracy is happy that they will get protection. So because of all these factors the public is appreciating government programmes and initiatives, corporate investments are rising and the bureaucracy is working without fear. As a result, things will be back on track.
But why are we yet to see even a single big invest ment commitment?
In such a bad economic scenario how could you expect immediate big investment commitment?
But growth rate rising from 4.4% to 5.7% is not a small thing in just one quarter. This is a big achievement. Current account deficit has decreased, forex reserves have risen. So, I think, within 100 days, where economy is concerned, there couldn't have been better performance.
The CBI director is under a cloud for meeting accused in several cases the agency is prosecuting at his residence. How do you view the demands for his ouster?
The CBI is an independent organisation. So, being the president of the party in power, to comment on its functioning won't be appropriate for me.Secondly, this matter is being looked at by the Supreme Court and it will decide whatever it has to. The designated Chief Justice of India is looking at it, so I don't wish to comment.
What are your views on the Rajnath Singh controversy?
What did he talk to you about?
A certain section of the media has purposefully spread stories not only about Singh but a lot of other ministers too. I condemn it strongly. It's not good for a healthy democracy. If someone is saying it then that person's name should be published. Even today I assert that if names of people who say these things aren't published then the public shouldn't read such stories. I want to convey this to the public through The Economic Times.
Is somebody in BJP behind these rumours due to intra-party rivalry, as some people believe?
I am saying something else. That if BJP people have spread it then the media should publish their names and expose them. Rajnath Singh had asked me to get this investigated -who is spreading these rumours.When he said it, we were all shocked that such a baseless rumour was being spread.
So did you get this investigated as asked by Singh?
What will I get investigated?
How can rumours get investigated?
I am trying to create a public awareness programme to ensure the word `sources' is removed from the media's dictionary!
But is no one from your own party involved in spreading this rumour?
The way it has come I don't think party people are involved. Now it could be that there was a rumour which could have had people in the party discuss it because they heard of it. I don't think any of our leaders had a hand in creating this rumour though. When there is a rumour then everyone talks about it.
Some say Singh is being marginalised...How can the country's home minister be marginalised?
Singh is the home minister and is working very well.He is taking all the decisions in his department and the home ministry is the nodal agency in dealing with states, governors, the President. All paramilitary forces and the intelligence bureaus report to it. He isn't sitting there because of someone's benevolence like it happened during the Congress time. Rajnathji and Modiji led our campaign. And the PM has himself said that the elections were fought under Rajnath Singh's captaincy.
But despite having all the powers it appears he could not select his own OSD (officer on special duty)?
It wasn't so only for Singh. That became the government policy, so it is wrong to interpret it as specifically targeting Singh. Before the decision came in he had already chosen his OSD, which is why it appeared this way but that was the government policy for everyone.
So who is the No. 2 in the government Rajnath Singh or Arun Jaitley?
Please don't get into the number game. Rajnath Singh is the PM's close and trusted friend.
So there is no No. 2 in this government?
That is not my right to say but the PM's.
How would you describe your relationship with the PM?
A lot of people say you are Delhi's second most powerful man. Do you agree?
All this talk of being the second most powerful goes on in the media and corridors of power. My relationship with Modiji is exactly how the relationship between a prime minister and party president should be. It is a clean, healthy relationship.
A section of the BJP cadre wants you to become the party's CM candidate for UP. Are you amenable to becoming the CM of India's most important state?
(Smiles) No question of it. I come from Gujarat and the party has decided that I be involved in central politics. There is absolutely no possibility of me becoming the UP CM! In the otherwise dream Lok Sabha results, Jaitley's defeat in Amritsar must have come as a rude shock. Do you believe you managed to give enough time and attention to Jaitley's campaign as you would have liked?
First, Jaitley is not my friend.He is my leader. His loss saddened everyone, including me.
I don't think the election wasn't fought well. It had more to do with political circumstances in the particular state.
Do you see yourself becoming prime minister?
(Laughs) I don't think like this. I am like a log floating on water. Wherever the water takes me, I go.
Did former CJI P Sathasivam get governorship because he had granted bail to you?
He did not grant me bail. My bail was granted by justices Aftab Alam and Ranjana Desai. Justice Sathasivam, on the contrary, had handed over the Tulsi Prajapati case to CBI, something that the Gujarat government had opposed. In a way, it was a ruling against me. His appointment is a constitutional appointment. FOR THE FULL TEXT OF THE INTERVIEW LOG ON TO http:www.economictimes.com
Sep 11 2014 : The Economic Times (Mumbai)
ET EXCLUSIVE - SP Fanning Communal Tension in UP; Rajnath not Marginalised: Amit Shah
Rohini Singh
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New Delhi
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UPBEAT MOOD In his first interview to a newspaper after becoming the BJP president, Amit Shah says corporates are happy and the bureaucrats are active as they feel protected. The party, he's confident, will win big in the upcoming assembly elections
BJP President Amit Shah has squarely blamed Samajwadi Party for rising communal tension in Uttar Pradesh while dismissing talk of marginalisation of home minister and former BJP chief Rajnath Singh, adding that rumours about Singh's family were not the handiwork of anyone in the party.
On the so-called `love jihad', the headline-grabbing name for interreligious marriages that are allegedly a ruse for conversion, Shah said this was more a media creation and that BJP had no big plans to take it up as a campaign issue.But he added that he sees nothing wrong in BJP responding to “a grave social problem“ in “genuine cases“ of “injustice“.
The 49-year-old politician, who led BJP to victory in a staggering 71 Lok Sabha seats in the 80-seat Uttar Pradesh and who was on Wednesday charged by state police in Muzaffarnagar over an April 4 campaign speech, said if polarisation was his party's poll strategy, every state facing elections would have seen a rise in communal temperature. But since only UP is facing this problem, the BJP chief argued, it was SP's partisan strategy that was responsible.
“There is no communal tension anywhere except in UP. BJP is everywhere, but SP is only in UP. That only means that SP's one-sided vote bank consolidation politics is responsible for increase in communal tension. There's no tension even in Jammu & Kashmir... a (poll-bound) sensitive state,“ Shah told ET in his first major media interaction since becoming party chief.
He was emphatic in dismissing any possibility that Home Minister Rajnath Singh was disempowered in any way . “How can the home minister be marginalised? He's taking all decisions in his department.“
Shah also asserted that Singh was Prime Minister Narendra Modi's “close and trusted friend“.
When asked who was number 2 in the government, the BJP chief said it was not for him but for the PM to answer the question.
Shah blamed the media for propagating rumours about Singh's family, saying it was intended to destabilise a government that was doing well. “If the media is reporting such rumours they should name their sources,“ said Shah. “I want to convey to the public through The Economic Times not to believe such rumours.“ He said the Modi government had engineered an all-round improvement: Corporate India is happy as the economy was looking up while civil servants felt empowered to take decisions as they felt “protected“ under the new regime.
When asked about BJP's less-than-stellar showing in the Bihar bypolls and the impact of the Nitish Kumar-Lalu Prasad combine, Shah asserted that BJP would win if assembly elections were held in Bihar today. “If Nitish and Lalu are so confident of victory, why don't they call for elections?“ He exuded confidence that BJP would register emphatic wins in the upcoming assembly elections of Maharashtra, Jharkhand and Haryana.
He also strongly contested the suggestion that the appointment of former chief justice of India P Sathasivam as Kerala governor was a quid pro quo for his allegedly favourable rulings in cases against Shah. The BJP chief said his bail in the `encounter' case was granted by two other judges and Justice Sathasivam had referred the Tulsi Prajapati case to CBI, a course of action that the Gujarat government had challenged and which went against his interests.
Typically reticent about himself, the powerful BJP chief said all talk of him being the country's second most powerful person (after the PM) was just chatter in the corridors of power and in the media. “My relationship with Modi-ji is exactly how the relationship between a PM and a party president should be,“ Shah said.
Equally laconic about his political future and answering a question about whether he sees himself as a future prime minister, Shah said he's like wood floating on water.“Wherever the water takes me, I will go.“
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